Getting inspired to make maternity wear
{above photo: my very favourite maternity dress that i made a few years ago}
I think we all know that retail maternity clothing can be such a drag! I guess that’s why we’re here on DIYM!!! I actually find it upsetting to shop for maternity clothing, since the designs are often frumpy, unflattering and don’t fit a pregnant form properly – not to mention how overpriced they often are. Which is why I prefer to design my own maternity wear. But, I know sometimes it can be hard to find inspiration for a DIY maternity project – so I thought it might help to talk about how I get my ideas!
Sometimes my ideas come from pure inspiration, but sometimes you may have a creative blank and a little bit of window shopping can help!!
These are some popular Maternity wear sites that you might garner some inspiration from, when making your own maternity wear.
- Motherhood Maternity
- Gap Maternity
- Old Navy Maternity
- Isabella Oliver
- Forever 21 Maternity
- Japanese Weekend
But to be honest, I find most of the designs from these stores pretty uninspiring. I prefer to look at sites that sell normal clothing, and browse around for things that could work as maternity wear – and then try and copy them! My favourite way of creating maternity wear is to repurpose something old, as that generally costs you nothing!! Here are some of my current favourites that you will more than likely see some DIY Maternity tutorials popping up for in the future!
Anthropologie – Witchery – Modcloth
When I saw the first top I realised that I could take one of my husbands shirts and come up with something pretty similar! Remember I made a knock off? Same with the second top – I thought it could be copied pretty well by making some small changes to an existing mens shirt – which is part of how i ended up making this tutorial. The Modcloth top looks like it could be easily made out of a few rectangles of fabric. With the ASOS midi skirt, the waistband is elastic, which not only makes it very easy to sew – but also means you can wear it over your baby bump when your pregnant (super cute) and then on your waist after, win win!! (I have a tutorial in the making for this one!) The Jcrew dress really excited me – because I thought with an empire waist instead of natural waist, it could be made out of a long tube of jersey knit and some elastic – remember the Grecian Maternity Maxi dress?
The last place I like to look is my favourite fashion blogs – especially those of pregnant women. I like to browse their archives and see if there’s anything i could copy…
Dear Baby blog – Jen Loves Kev - Bleubird Vintage
Melissa is actually wearing one of the first test runs of my Ruched Maternity Top pattern – but I think the skirt would be a great DIY project! Same with Jen’s tube skirt that she’s wearing under an elastic waistband dress (hey we’ve got a tutorial for a dress like that!)- could that be any cuter? Watch out for a tutorial for that in the future! And lastly James’ dress is so much awesome – i really want to make a version of that – I think i could come up with a pretty close knockoff by combining this pattern and this pattern.
So there you go – those are a few ways I come up with ideas for DIY Maternity. How about you? Where are you finding inspiration for your maternity sewing projects these days??
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Excellent post, Megan! Thanks for the resources. I find myself not the handiest when it comes to DIY clothing, but you make me want to keep trying!
Wow, I’m blown away with the great ideas! I am most impressed with the repurposing shirts. My husband has a few shirts that I can think of right away that I could use. Thank you so much for the excellent ideas!!
I love the men’s shirt tutorial, and I’m going to start on one today! And I REALLY love the first dress picture that you posted — your very favorite maternity dress. Do you have a tutorial or pattern for that somewhere, because I’d make it in a heartbeat!
I really admire your ideas! Your site is a great inspiration. Mostly, I try to make something that looks like my regular clothing, e.g. slim jeans skirt and jumper in favorite colours. I do not sew T-Shirts and longsleeves, but buy a lot of cheap pieces in larger size. This fall, longer tops are very common and they fit the belly perfectly. Since they are so cheap, I do not mind them being totally stretched and worn out when baby is ready.
Greetings from Germany,
Reini
Thanks, Megan! I am eyeing my husband’s shirts already.
please tell me what pattern you used to make your very favorite maternity dress at the top of this page! I would love to make it for a friend and for my daughter who are pregnant. thanks.
I’m new to sewing still, but I love the dress you made (your very favorite) and was wondering if you have a pattern or tips as to how to make it. I would really like to try my hand at it; it’s so cute!! Thanks!
I agree with a few others’ comments. I would love a tutorial for your favorite maternity dress!
I LOVE your favorite maternity dress and would LOVE LOVE any tips or better yet a pattern on how to make it. Looks gorgeous and can be worn long after the baby has arrived. :) your website is fantastic with practical tips on how to spruce up the maternity wardrobe and look stylish. :) i’ve just started to sew and am excited about making my own maternity wear. :) thanks once again for taking the time to put a website together for us.